From "eh?" to 'aye!': First Impressions of London

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson

In September I visited London for the first time and fell head over heels in love with it. So I can definitely see that being a frequent visitor to London would be appealing. I am too poor at present moment to actually afford to live there! Luckily, Katie and Kai graciously hosted Matthew and I for a week, thereby making our visit affordable. :) We had such a good time and I took far too many photos so I have decided to write my first-ever series! Hopefully you will enjoy all the posts. I decided to start with the architecture of London since it is always a person's first impression of a city. Because London is so old and parts of it are crowded, it kind of felt like the city was giving me a big hug, although we did enjoy soaking up the sun in city parks, so it wasn't a claustrophobic hug, just a chummy, comforting hug.

These first two photos were taken in June, when Matthew and I had to transfer trains on our way to Oxford. I was so excited that I had my face plastered to the window so as to not miss my first glimpse of London!

St. Pancras train station.

This one is pretty self-explanatory...

The rest of photos are from sunny September. I finally understand why shops in Scotland sell summer-wear! It is for everyone going on holiday, including to the south of England (now I also understand why the population is so dense down there - they can actually wear sandals and skirts!).

We got to pass by all these amazing red-brick houses every day walking to Queen's Park tube station.

Liberty shop.

Who doesn't want a golden galleon weather vane? Or textured chimneys?

The Arcade on Bond Street. One of the several very posh arcades we poked around in. Strictly window-shopping only!

Close-up detail of the Arcade. Who says that the Classics are dead?

Interior of the Arcade.

Ladurée macarons in the Burlington Arcade. Look at all that gilding!

Another arcade, this one boasting one of the many Paul cafés to be found in London. This is is probably the prettiest location, though.

Entrance to the Burlington Arcade with Ladurée in the corner. You were right, Erin, it is like walking through Downton!

The exterior of Fortnum & Mason. A haven for glorious food!

Interior detail of Fortnum & Mason.

I had never in my life come across an outdoor pulpit. Was it for overflow when the church filled up? One of my favourite oddities we espied in London.

I like how much personality this building has compared width its neighbours.

I liked this composition of the English Lion from Trafalgar Square with Big Ben.

Even the fountains in London have added awesomeness!

We were in London during the tail-end of the Paralympics and we stumbled across this very patriotic sidewalk café. Its newness contrasted to the stateliness of its surroundings.

This modern art installation at the V&A intrigued me and somehow harmonised with the beauty of the old architecture.

Apparently the V&A is quite good at mixing the old with the new as this glass sculpture in the entrance hall further demonstrated.

The next time I go to the V&A, I want to have tea in this Arts & Crafts café.

The William Morris section of the V&A's café.

Dining al fresco in the V&A's courtyard was a pretty good alternative.

I think it looks like the walls of the V&A are giving us a hug. :)

Southwark Cathedral at night.

This church was in the neigbourhood where we stayed. It is made out of corrugated metal! One of my other favourite oddities we discovered.

One of the coolest experiences of London was getting to see architecture that is always shown on television - like The Mall!

Even the flora has structure to it! In the garden of St James' Park near Buckingham Palace.

Scenery along the Themes.

I liked that this otherwise fairly useless space under a bridge along the Themes had been put to good use.

The Historic Themes.

This was formerly a church built by Christoper Wren. It is now in ruins but the gardens are planted inside what used to be the nave where the pews would have sat. Another of the odd gems we came across in our travels.

Christopher Wren's former church spruced up with Olympic bunting and in full summer bloom.

The Hippodrome Casino near Leicester Square.

Another nod to the Classics! Charioteer detail atop the Hippodrome Casino.

Another fun fusion of old and new.

The Great Court of the British Museum. I enjoyed the light flooding into this part of the museum (no artefacts here, of course!)

One of my favourite pedimental sculptures from the Parthenon. Originally, this figure would have been part of the ornate structure bearing up the Parthenon's roof. It was surreal to have my university Greek Art class come to larger-than-life before my eyes.

Hotel Russell near Russell Square and the British Museum.

I think this part of the British Museum was formerly part of the British Library. In any case, I enjoyed how the bookcases had been re-purposed into display cases.